5 Design Things To Do This Week

Houses like the 1921 Spadena House in Beverly Hills, above, are the legacy of a fad for fairytale-inspired whimsical houses in the Southland. Douglas Keister, photographer and author of “Storybook Style: Whimsy in L.A.,” will give a talk Tuesday night at Pasadena’s Neighborhood Church about these “half-timbered and turreted, pinnacled and portcullised houses that combine theatrical flair with fine craftsmanship.”

2. Sean Lally — The Air from Other Planets: A Brief History of Architecture to Come

Periodically architects embark on efforts to dematerialize architecture. The most recent foray into that evanescent realm comes from Sean Lally, author of The Air from Other Planets: A Brief History of Architecture to Come, described as “a speculation into an architecture produced by designing the energy within our environment (electromagnetic, thermodynamic, acoustic, and chemical). . . energy becomes its own enterprise for design innovation: it becomes the architecture itself.” Lally will discuss his book at the Rudolf Schindler-designed MAK Center Wednesday night; the building itself is always worth a visit.

Sketinguish 1 to 3 By Sket One. Photo by Carren Jao of exhibit at the Chinese American Museum.

3. L.A. Heat — Tapatio and Sriracha Reconsidered by Artists

Tapatio and Sriracha hot sauces have become as ubiquitous as tomato ketchup on the tables of LA eateries, and the Sriracha factory’s spicy fumes have become an unlikely environmental story. Just as ketchup inspired art when it was culturally dominant, now LA artists have created an art exhibit dedicated to the fiery condiments. DnA’s Carren Jao said that it brings “disparate voices of illustrators, gallery artists, street artists, and many others…to expose the endless layers of culture and the unique blend of grit mingled with optimism that marks Los Angeles.”

Speaking of ubiquitous L.A. experiences, our famous GRIDLOCK is the subject of an exhibit by photographer Sara Jane Boyers, currently on show at Leica Gallery Los Angeles. Boyers says her work, shown alongside other perspectives on Los Angeles by Domenico Foschi and Sol Hill, offers a “contemporary perspective on what it means to be stuck in traffic.”

On Saturday, 12 April, there will be both a closing reception and a short walk-through of the three exhibitions by the three photographers.

5. ‘That’s Amazing! Thirty Years of Huell Howser and California’s Gold’
Exhibit Opens at Chapman University

Fans of Huell Howser’s boundless enthusiasm for California culture should attend Chapman University’s new permanent exhibit dedicated to the late TV personality. The free open house this Saturday will feature memorabilia from his shows, free tours of the exhibit, food vendors from some of the best episodes and more.

Chapman University also houses the archive of every episode of California Gold as well as his other shows.